The Lost Fleet: Genesis: A Slaver Wars Novel (22 page)

Altrab gazed
at the quickly approaching threat icons. There were a large number of the
spherical AI ships as well as some of the more powerful organic warships. He
knew from previous reports these vessels were just as powerful as his own
battlecruisers, perhaps even more so.

“What does the
battle computer recommend?”

Second
Commander Jarald spent a few moments checking the computer and then turned
toward the High Commander. “Based on previous encounters with the ship types
approaching us we only have a 14 percent chance of victory.”

Altrab’s eyes
widened as he weighed his options. He had never been in a battle where the
Simulin fleet he was leading hadn’t been predicted to win. Supreme High
Commander Callat had been very clear that Altrab was not to risk heavy losses
to his fleet. That order was contrary to standard Simulin battle procedure.

“Form the
fleet up in standard attack formation. We will engage the enemy and test the
strength of their fleet and weapons.”

“There can be
none but Simulin,” said Jarald. “All other organics must be eliminated.”

“None but
Simulin,” Altrab replied. “It is as it has been for thousands of years. All
other organics must die so the Simulin race can spread across all the known
galaxies.” However, in all that time they had never encountered such opposition
as posed by these strange organics and the AIs from the Fitula Nebula.

-

The Simulin
fleet quickly formed up into a phalanx, shields nearly touching and the vessels
very close together. The fleet began moving slowly toward the advancing enemy.
Energy weapons were charged and hatches on missile tubes slid open.

-

Admiral
Jackson watched as the Command Center in the
Dauntless
came alive with
intense activity as the crew prepared for battle.

“Simulins have
formed up into a tight offensive formation and are advancing,” reported
Lieutenant Ortega.

“That’s not a
very good tactical formation,” commented Commander Blanton, raising her
eyebrows as she examined the closely grouped icons in the tactical display near
her. “It may work fine against energy beams and other similar weapons, but our
antimatter missiles will wreck havoc with it.”

“This High
Commander evidently has never fought against any of our ships before,” Jackson said, agreeing with the commander’s assessment. “While our antimatter missiles
might not penetrate their screens, they will scramble their targeting sensors
as close together as they are. I want all ships to fire a full barrage of the
one hundred-megaton missiles, then a quick follow up with particle beams and
power beams. Let’s try to take out as many as we can before they adjust their formation.”

“Ready to
fire,” reported Captain Lance from Tactical. “Antimatter missiles are armed and
hatches are open.”

“One minute to
optimum weapons range,” spoke Lieutenant Ortega.

“Simulins are
firing,” reported Commander Blanton as a warning alarm sounded on her command
console.

The
Dauntless
shuddered as several Simulin antimatter missiles slammed into her energy
shield, severely jarring the ship. The lights in the Command Center flickered briefly and then returned to normal.

Admiral
Jackson looked quickly around the Command Center, noting the missile strike
hadn’t affected the crew. Orders were still being sent and operations were
proceeding smoothly.

“Engagement
range!” called out Lieutenant Ortega.

“Missiles
firing!” responded Captain Lance as he pressed several icons on the screen in
front of him. Next to the captain his weapons officers were busy targeting the
ship’s powerful beam weapons at the onrushing Simulin vessels.

On the main
viewscreen, the Simulin fleet seemed to vanish as hundreds of antimatter missiles
detonated against their shields. Their weapons fire faltered and nearly stopped
as the screen became filled with light.

“Continuous
fire on all beam weapons,” ordered Admiral Jackson, wanting to take advantage
of the sudden decrease in Simulin weapons fire. He knew the antimatter blasts
had temporarily blinded their sensors and for at least a few seconds their
ships would be vulnerable.

-

Particle beams
tore into the tight Simulin formation, blasting gaping holes in their energy
screens. The center section of a Simulin battlecruiser was torn open by
multiple particle beams. A moment later a Devastator Three missile arrived, and
the fifty-megaton warhead turned the seventeen-hundred-meter ship into burning
plasma.

Another
Simulin battlecruiser took a massive hit to its bow, losing all six energy
weapon spires. Energy beam fire from two AI warspheres quickly finished the
stricken ship off, blowing it into a thousand pieces of fiery wreckage.

Two Simulin
escort cruisers were targeted by Admiral Bachal’s Alton battleships, and in a
matter of moments they were nothing more than drifting debris.

-

Simulin High
Commander Altrab gasped in pain as his restraining harness bit deeply into his
skin. The ship shook violently as it took an energy weapon hit to its bow.

“Status!”
Altrab demanded as he gazed in anger at the viewscreens.

He had made a
serious tactical error in bunching his fleet up in too tight a formation. He’d
also underestimated the power of the enemy’s missiles, assuming they would be
no stronger than his own. He had paid for that mistake with the loss of a
number of ships and even more were reporting severe damage.

“We must
spread our formation,” stated Second Commander Jarald as he stared at the
newest recommendation from the battle computer. The chance of a Simulin victory
was now down to 8 percent. He had never seen such a number before.

“Do so,”
ordered Altrab as he watched a Simulin escort cruiser being blown apart by
several AI ships. It was becoming rapidly obvious the one-thousand-meter
spherical ships of the AIs were more powerfully armed than a Simulin
battlecruiser.

On another
screen he saw Simulin energy beams penetrate the screen of an enemy warship,
opening up a number of compartments. Then a Simulin missile arrived, turning
the vessel into a scattering of stardust. “Intensify our rate of fire. Have
multiple ships fire upon single targets.”

“Their screens
are more powerful than previously reported,” Second Commander Jarald was quick
to point out. “Our energy weapons are having trouble penetrating.”

Altrab felt
growing frustration as another one of his escort cruisers was annihilated. He
had never faced an enemy such as this in his long career.

“Orders have
been sent,” Jarald reported. “Fleet is increasing the spacing between ships;
weapons have been switched to continuous and autonomous fire. Our fleet is now
firing in three ship units upon individual enemy targets.”

Altrab nodded.
He would watch and see how this change of tactics affected the enemy. In the
back of his mind, he knew Supreme Admiral Callat expected him to return with
the majority of his fleet.

-

In space,
warsphere W-119 was struggling to keep its energy shield intact. Simulin energy
beams and antimatter missiles were pummeling it relentlessly. The screen seemed
to flicker briefly and during that time two Simulin energy beams penetrated
blasting out two deep glowing craters in the ship’s hull. In retaliation the
warsphere fired all of its particle beam cannons at a Simulin escort cruiser,
tearing its screen down, riddling its hull, and turning it into a drifting and
powerless hulk. The warsphere’s screen flickered again and an antimatter
missile penetrated. In a brilliant explosion, the warsphere was turned into a
miniature sun.

-

“Warsphere
W-119 is down,” reported Lieutenant Ortega.

“Alton battleship
Windstar
is reporting heavy damage,” added Lieutenant Neal.
“Admiral Bachal is ordering it to the rear of the formation.”

The
Dauntless
shook violently, and a console exploded in a shower of sparks. The operator
collapsed to the floor, unmoving.

“Get me a
status report,” barked Jackson. “All batteries, continuous fire! Medics, take
care of that crewman!”

On the
viewscreens, he watched grimly as two more Simulin battlecruisers exploded
under the heavy fire from his fleet.

“Simulin energy
beam penetrated our energy shield,” reported Commander Blanton. “We have two
compartments open to space. Damage control teams have been dispatched. No
impact on our fighting ability.”

Jackson nodded as he watched two medics working on the downed officer. The man was sitting
up but still seemed shaken. Smoke from the damaged console was rapidly clearing
from the Command Center.

A sudden flash
of light suddenly filled one of the secondary viewscreens.

“What was
that?” demanded Jackson. He knew a ship of some sort had just died.

“Strikecruiser
Plymouth
is down,” reported Lieutenant Ortega grimly. “We’ve also just
lost the Alton battlecruiser
EarlyDawn
.”

“Enemy fleet
is beginning to spread their formation,” warned Commander Blanton as she
studied one of the tactical displays. “It looks as if we’ve taken out six of
their battlecruisers and fourteen of their escorts so far.”

Admiral
Jackson took a deep breath. He had known this battle would be costly. Both
sides were losing a lot of ships. “We’ll maintain contact for five more minutes
and then pull back to the defense grid. As soon as we reach the grid, I want
the Anlon bombers sent in. They’re to target any Simulin ship showing damage or
a weakened energy screen.”

“Yes, sir,”
replied Blanton. “Contacting the battlecarriers now.”

-

The battle in
space was intensifying. Particle beam fire from two Alton battleships slammed
into the center part of a Simulin battlecruiser, setting off massive explosions
and hurling glowing debris away from the hull. Secondary explosions began to
shake the vessel and then it exploded as an antimatter missile detonated on the
stern.

The aft
section of a Human battlecruiser was blown off from a Simulin antimatter
strike, leaving the ship drifting helplessly in space with little or no power.
The ship came under intense attack from several Simulin escort cruisers using
their energy beams to riddle the ship. In a flaming detonation the
battlecruiser blew apart, sending flaming debris in all directions.

-

Simulin High
Commander Altrab glared coldly at the ship’s main viewscreen. Several Simulin
warships were in the last throes of being destroyed by concentrated fire from
six AI ships. His thoughts turned toward his orders from Supreme High Commander
Callat. He was not to allow his fleet to suffer significant losses. There was
not a single blemish on his long career as a Simulin High Commander; that was
about to change.

“Give the
order to withdraw,” Altrab said harshly, knowing it would leave a black mark on
his record even though he was only following orders.

“Withdraw?”
asked Second Commander Jarald, looking confused. “Why? We are inflicting grave
losses on the enemy. It is not our way to retreat; we must destroy all who are
not Simulin!”

“In most
cases, you would be correct,” answered Altrab, looking over at his second in
command. “However, due to our recent fleet losses and the Great Sphere having
been destroyed, we must preserve our fleet. Those were the orders given to me
by Supreme High Commander Callat.”

“We must obey
the Supreme High Commander,” said Jarald in acknowledgment. “I will begin
preparations for the fleet to withdraw.”

Altrab turned
his attention back to the viewscreens. It was against all of his training to
retreat with most of his fleet still remaining. However, he would obey his
orders. They would return to Tranton and report to Supreme High Commander
Callat about what had transpired here at Ornellia. Perhaps sometime in the
future he would return with a much larger fleet and complete the destruction of
these organics and their AIs.

-

Admiral
Jackson was about to give the order to fall back to Ornellia when the Simulin
fleet suddenly began jumping out.

“Simulins are
opening up spatial vortexes,” reported Lieutenant Ortega.

“They’re
leaving!” gasped Commander Blanton as she watched in disbelief. “Why?”

“Unknown,”
replied Jackson, leaning forward in his command chair. “Continue to hit them
until the last ship is gone from the system.”

Jackson breathed out a long sigh of relief. While he had lost a number of ships, his fleet
hadn’t been crippled. Once the last Simulin vessel withdrew, he would pull back
to Ornellia and have the two fleet repair ships come out and begin repairs. He
knew he had a number of damaged ships. Some of the repair work would be minor,
but the rest of it would be quite extensive.

On the main
viewscreen, the image shifted to show more ships of the fleet. Several had
jagged pits in their hulls, and many were showing burn marks from energy weapon
strikes. All would need to spend time with the repair ships.

“Last Simulin
ship has entered hyperspace,” reported Lieutenant Ortega.

“Give me a
status on all fleet ships and the condition of the crews. I want to know the
casualty figures both dead and injured. Also, find out if we have any ships
that can’t make it back to Ornellia. If so, the Alton battleships are equipped
with tractor beams and can tow them back.”

“Yes, sir,”
Commander Blanton said. “I’ll check on ship conditions and get the rest of the
information to you as soon as possible.”

Jackson nodded. This battle was over. He just wondered how many more were still in his
future.

-

On Ornellia,
Dax Matol was standing in the Control Center of his bunker complex. He had gone
there so he could monitor the battle between the Humans and the Simulins. It
was with great relief that he saw the Simulin fleet turn and flee the system.